HANOVER, NH — The Saint Michael’s College Alpine and Nordic skiing teams, which includes Senior Gaelan Boyle-Wight of Newry, combined to finish sixth among fourteen schools at the Dartmouth College Carnival over the weekend. The Nordic squad participated in the carnival on Friday and Saturday, while the Alpine team was at the Dartmouth Skiway both days, but Friday’s slalom races yielded no team points and replaced the University of Vermont Carnival’s canceled slalom event.

The Purple Knights combined on their second consecutive sixth-place carnival finish after never previously taking higher than seventh since the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) consolidated its Division I and II leagues for the 1993-94 season. Saint Michael’s totaled 466 points to come within 49 of fifth-place Colby College.

During Friday’s 10K classic race, the men were just seven points short of 10th-place Saint Lawrence University. Senior Gaelan Boyle-Wight (Newry, Maine/Telstar Regional) placed 43rd in 31:02.4, first-year Declan Hutchinson (Duluth, Minn./Marshall School) was 44th at 31:07.3, and classmate Miguel Sanclemente (Fort Kent, Maine/Kolbe Academy) took 79th in 33:19.9. Junior Sam Heyliger (Whitefield, N.H./White Mountains Regional) claimed 81st in 33:43.8, senior Mikey Halligan (Gansevoort, N.Y./Saratoga Central Catholic) was 85th at 34:52.7, and junior Joey Del Toro (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge) finished 86th in 35:03.3. Senior Will Meehan (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle Regional) placed 87th with a time of 35:31.8, and sophomore Noah Taracena (Hampton, N.H./Winnacunnet) ended up 88th at 35:50.9.

Sophomore Grace Castonguay (Jackson, N.H./Kennett) tied for 48th in the women’s 5K classic race at 19:03.3, senior Rachel Smith (Old Forge, N.Y./Town of Webb) took 76th at 20:26.9, and sophomore Katie Culliton (Glens Falls, N.Y./Glens Falls) finished 80th in 20:50.1. First-year Izzy Quam (Stillwater, Minn./Mounds Park Academy) ended the day 81st at 21:17.2, sophomore Lily Sabol (Hopkinton, N.H./Hopkinton) was 82nd at 22:06.4, and junior Grace Erholtz (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) placed 83rd in 23:01.6. Senior Cecelia Schmelzle (Saint Louis Park, Minn./Saint Louis Park) took 84th in 23:38.0, and sophomore Cambelle Nutting (Vassalboro, Maine/Maranacook Community) placed 85th with a time of 24:48.9.

During Friday’s non-scoring slalom race, sophomore Simen Strand (Høvik, Norway/Dønski VGS) claimed seventh place with a two-run combined time of 1:42.68. First-year Eirik Kveno (Asker, Norway/Dønski VGS) nabbed 20th at 1:43.81, and senior Austin Lilley (Winhall, Vt./Stratton Mountain School) was 45th in 1:48.50. On the women’s side, first-year Helene Kristoffersen (Rælingen, Norway/Dønski VGS) claimed 17th at 1:37.45, bolstered by the fourth-fastest second run (46.23), and junior Berty Olsen (Oslo, Norway/Persbråten VGS) was 19th in 1:37.77, tying for ninth in the second run (46.63). First-year Margrethe Frøland (Rælingen, Norway/Dønski VGS) placed 32nd at 1:41.22, classmate Moa Lundén (Stockholm, Sweden/Jämtlands Gymnasium Åre) was 33rd in 1:41.39, and senior Magnolia Neu (Truckee, Calif./North Tahoe) took 35th in 1:41.88.

On Saturday, the Alpine team began its official competition in the Dartmouth Carnival, combining for a third-place finish in the slalom, totaling 344 points to trail only the University of New Hampshire (394) and UVM (532). The men scored third-place points (98), barely trailing host Dartmouth (106), with UVM in control at 135. The women were fourth (74), behind Middlebury College (98), New Hampshire (117), and UVM (131).

Strand was fifth in 1:40.83, claiming his third top-10 finish this winter, while Kveno placed eighth at 1:41.25, nabbing his fourth top-10 performance. Senior Ben Throm (Aspen, Colo./Aspen) finished 19th in 1:42.21, recording the third-fastest second run (49.51), and juniorBenoit Fumeaux (Valais, Switzerland/Kollegium Spiritus Sanctus) ended up 20th at 1:42.35, buoyed by the sixth-best second run  (50.16). Junior Max Noddings (Sun Valley, Idaho/Sun Valley Community School) was 23rd in 1:43.74. Kristoffersen paced the women by placing ninth at 1:41.18, landing her first top-10 finish while taking fifth in the second run (49.32). Lundén was 19th at 1:42.44, Olsen took 23rd in 1:42.78, Frøland tied for 26th at 1:44.51, and Neu placed 39th in 1:49.10.

During Nordic races, the Purple Knight men came within seven points of Bates College while trailing Saint Lawrence by eight. The women were 10 points shy of Saint Lawrence and 11 points away from Harvard University.

Hutchinson was 29th in the 10K freestyle at 28:55.2, claiming his third top-30 performance, while Boyle-Wight finished 51st at 30:02.6. Sophomore Charles Martell (Essex, Vt./Essex) took 66th at 30:43.7, Del Toro was 69th in 30:50.1, and Sanclemente took 74th in 31:09.3. Halligan claimed 77th in 31:40.5, Heyliger was 78th at 31:45.5, and Meehan placed 85th at 32:58.5. Senior John Cunningham (Springfield, N.H./Kearsarge Regional) crossed the line in 88th at 33:50.5, and Taracena was 89th at 34:21.4. Castonguay was among the top 40 for the second time, taking 36th in the women’s 10K freestyle at 35:57.4, and Culliton placed 67th in 38:53.6. Smith was 76th in 40:43.6, Sabol placed 78th at 41:14.2, and Erholtz took 80th in 41:55.5. Quam was 81st at 42:07.8, Schmelzle finished 82nd in 43:39.7, and Nutting claimed 83rd at 48:53.7.

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